Max skill ranks

[JRoss]

Can't believe I didn't think about this before, but do Rank 0 skills count against the maximum (INT+EDU)? I imagine that they don't, but there is a mechanical benefit to having a skill at 0.

 

[AndrewW]

Can't believe I didn't think about this before, but do Rank 0 skills count against the maximum (INT+EDU)? I imagine that they don't, but there is a mechanical benefit to having a skill at 0.

No, they don't count. Might be something that needs to be made clearer.

 

[alex_greene]

Can't believe I didn't think about this before, but do Rank 0 skills count against the maximum (INT+EDU)? I imagine that they don't, but there is a mechanical benefit to having a skill at 0.

No, they don't. Once you've reached the limits of your abilities and picked up all the skill levels you can, you can still pick up basic level 0 competence in new skills and in cascades.

Also, check the new limits on the number of skill levels you can pick up. If you have a high INT + EDU, that is a serious amount of skill levels.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

do Rank 0 skills count against the maximum (INT+EDU)?

That's not the maximum. Where did you read that?

 

[JRoss]

Yes, I meant to write triple. I knew that it's triple. Sorry.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Do the rules state what do to when you reach the maximum skill levels during career generation?

Say I have a character in his 5th Term. He has a 10 for Max Skill Ranks. But during his 5th term he gains skill levels that would take him to 11 or 12. Do I have to decide right then, what to swap around, or can I wait until the end of character creation to decide where to cut?

Personally, I think it is cleaner to wait until the end of character creation, so a Player can decide to cut from Mechanical-4 to Mechanical-2 or Astrogation-4 to Astrogation-2 or drop each to Level-3.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

10 seems low for a 3 x (INT + EDU) number. If it is, in fact, the right number, great job getting to 5th term. The limitation goes in when you are looking to do some training for your character.

Let me look again.... so if your totaled skill levels will be higher than the total, no more skills for you.

 

[alex_greene]

Say I have a character in his 5th Term. He has a 10 for Max Skill Ranks

What are his INT and EDU? 5 each?

Nowadays, even with INT 5 and EDU 5, a Traveller can learn a maximum of thirty skill levels.

 

[DickNervous]

Even if you roll a 2 for both INT and EDU you still get 12 skill levels. And since it says skill levels in the book, then 0 level skills wouldn't count.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Even if you roll a 2 for both INT and EDU you still get 12 skill levels. And since it says skill levels in the book, then 0 level skills wouldn't count.

Zero skills show up for home skills and basic training. I don't think they show up after that during chargen... double checking...

 

[alex_greene]

They're brought up again during the Training section. Characters can learn level zero skills at any time, and they can only learn level zero skills once they hit the limit of their 3 x (INT + EDU) in skill levels.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

They're brought up again during the Training section. Characters can learn level zero skills at any time, and they can only learn level zero skills once they hit the limit of their 3 x (INT + EDU) in skill levels.

Yep. My characters don't last long enough to train in anything.

 

[alex_greene]

They're brought up again during the Training section. Characters can learn level zero skills at any time, and they can only learn level zero skills once they hit the limit of their 3 x (INT + EDU) in skill levels.

Yep. My characters don't last long enough to train in anything.

Bear in mind that a polymath with a handful of skills all at level 5 is just as killable as a rookie fresh out of boot; if they both have 777777, the genius is no more immune to a hail of bullets than the freshman, and it takes exactly the same amount of physical effort to send them both to adjacent slabs in the local morgue.

The others were discussing making the limit 1 x [INT + EDU], but I argued that it should be kept at the value seen.

Alternative caps were considered, such as a soft cap e.g. new skills beyond level 0 taking a full month to learn per EDU rather than a week, once the character reaches his limit; but this discussion was only, like, last Monday - a bit late - so I argued passionately to keep the limit as written, and put any alternatives - such as soft caps, higher or lower skill level limits, limits on individual skills rather than on total levels, points build, Iron Man and so on - in the Traveller Companion.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

The others were discussing making the limit 1 x [INT + EDU], but I argued that it should be kept at the value seen.

That's fine, if your playing Classic traveller where you're lucky if you get more than 6 skills.

The '70s are over though. Mongoose needs its 3 x [INT + EDU] for skill levels. Levels, and not skills.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Even if you roll a 2 for both INT and EDU you still get 12 skill levels.

And in my opinion, I see nothing wrong with someone this low being somewhat limited.

I think the core rules should go into some detail as to how to handle things when one reaches the max.
Can you drop a skill, or level in a skill to learn something new?
Do you track the skills gained past your max in case you improve INT or EDU during chargen or when mustering out?

Perhaps ways to Increase EDU during game play should be discussed. This may be something for the Traveller Companion

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Even if you roll a 2 for both INT and EDU you still get 12 skill levels.

And in my opinion, I see nothing wrong with someone this low being somewhat limited.

I think the core rules should go into some detail as to how to handle things when one reaches the max.
Can you drop a skill, or level in a skill to learn something new?
Do you track the skills gained past your max in case you improve INT or EDU during chargen or when mustering out?

Perhaps ways to Increase EDU during game play should be discussed. This may be something for the Traveller Companion

I think the Traveller Companion will go into that. It will handle homeworld skills also.

 

[-Daniel-]

So at this point there is no limit to the number of skills a character could have at level zero?

(EDU 7 + INT 7 )3 = 42 levels and then I can add an unlimited number of level zero skills?

This feels odd to me. Not wrong just odd.

I need to let this stew in my brain for a day or so. Maybe it is the reaction to change I am feeling.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

So at this point there is no limit to the number of skills a character could have at level zero?

(EDU 7 + INT 7 )3 = 42 levels and then I can add an unlimited number of level zero skills?

This feels odd to me. Not wrong just odd.

I need to let this stew in my brain for a day or so. Maybe it is the reaction to change I am feeling.

You mean does it make Jack of all Trades 3 kind of useless? I'll have to do some simulated runs...

 

[DickNervous]

Maybe, but the amount of game time it would take to acquire every skill at level 0 would be prohibitive. After all, if there is a cost associated with it the character has to make some money somewhere, which means they couldn't be studying all the time.

 

[vladthemad]

Reading the new rules for learning new skills on p. 51, I'm surprised they changed them from the previous. The thing to remember is that if your party has a ship they will be spending every other week in jump space usually. Let's say there's a few weeks they stick around a planet to sort out a long adventure, that's still likely to be 20 weeks spent in jump space with little more to do than surf the ship's computer and learn new skills. So you could possible be picking up 20 level 0 or level 1 skills in a year.